Barge still stuck along Esquimalt coast following windstorm
A cement barge that washed onto the coast of Esquimalt, B.C., is still stuck there on Thursday, two days after it ran aground.
The cement barge broke free of its tow cable and smashed onto the rocks of MacLoughlin Point on Tuesday night during a windstorm, which cancelled BC Ferries sailings in the region.
Since then, the wayward barge has drawn onlookers.
"There was a loud bang. I heard it, the kids heard it, everybody heard it," said an Esquimalt resident on Wednesday.
Fortunately, Transport Canada says there were no injuries in the crash and that the trapped barge is relatively harmless.
"The barge is empty, with no fuel or people on board, and poses no threat to people's safety or the marine environment," said Transport Canada spokesperson Sau Sau Liu in a statement Thursday.
Recovery efforts began on Wednesday, but as of Thursday afternoon, the barge was still stuck at MacLoughlin Point.
The trapped barge is pictured on Nov. 30. 2022. (CTV News)It's unclear when the barge will finally be freed, but Transport Canada says it's working with the barge owner to carry out a safe recovery of the vessel.
CTV News reached out to the company that owns the barge, Lafarge Canada, on Wednesday but did not receive a response.
Either way, locals say they don't want have to wait like Vancouverites did when a barge was stuck along the rocks of English Bay for nearly a year.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
W5 Investigates | Daniel Jolivet insists he's not a murderer and says he has proof
Convicted murderer Daniel Jolivet, in prison for the past 30 years, has maintained his innocence since the day he was arrested. W5 reviews the evidence he painstakingly assembled while behind bars. W5's documentary 'Buried Evidence' airs Saturday at 7 p.m. on CTV.

Dozens of soldiers freed in Russia-Ukraine prisoner swap
Dozens of Russian and Ukrainian prisoners of war have returned home following a prisoner swap, officials on both sides said Saturday.
Marit Stiles set to officially take over as Ontario NDP leader
Marit Stiles is expected to be confirmed as the new leader of the Ontario NDP today.
China balloon: Many questions about suspected spy in the sky
The massive white orb drifting across U.S. airspace has triggered a diplomatic maelstrom and is blowing up on social media. A look at what's known about the balloon crossing the U.S. and what isn't.
One in four Canadian cancer patients still experiencing cancelled appointments: survey
In the field of cancer treatment, nothing is more important than diagnosing and treating the problem as quickly as possible — but according to new survey data, about one in four Canadian cancer patients report that they are still experiencing cancelled or postponed appointments.
Oldest preserved vertebrate brain found in 319-million-year-old fish fossil
The oldest preserved vertebrate brain has been found in a 319-million-year-old fossilized fish skull that was removed from an English coal mine over a century ago.
In Tyre Nichols' neighbourhood, Black residents fear police
In a terrible way, the death of Tyre Nichols brings vindication to members of the Black community in Memphis who live in terror of police.
50-car train derailment causes big fire, evacuations in Ohio
A train derailment and resulting large fire prompted an evacuation order and a declaration of a state of emergency in an Ohio village near the Pennsylvania state line on Friday night, covering the area in billows of smoke lit orange by the flames below.
Canada tracked suspected Chinese spy balloon over Canadian airspace since last weekend: sources
The suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that was found floating over sensitive military sites in the western United States had been tracked by Canada's government since last weekend as it passed through Canadian airspace, sources tell CTV News.